Vallheim
On the farest northern end of the main continent, a narrow land-bridge connects it with a small island. This island, tiny, rugged and covered in snow for half the year, is known as Vallheim, At the same time, this is also the name of the only city on the island. The land bridge leads directly in a narrow valley, walled by high mountains. Build at the end of the bridge, Vallheim stretches back into just this valley, and the strange, high silhouette of it's piled up houses is something that most visitors describe as "something they've never seen before or again." History The Order Discovered in the early years of the former Demon Lord era, Vallheim wasn't a very attractive place in the beginning. Not only was it cold and far off from the next Order outpost, the natives were also not pleased to be suddenly regarded as citizens of an Theocracy. They had no intention of paying taxes and tributing men for a deity they had never heard of before, and naturally, they sought to get rid of the intruders with violence. Of course, they stood no chance against the Orders heavily armored knights and cavalry in an open battle, but they were aware of this from the start. Instead of challenging the Order on the battlefield, they carried out a perfect example of Guerilla warfare. Ambushes at night and during snowstorms, raiding the support trails rather than the main force, spreading false information and murdering heralds at peace negotiations. This continued that the Order troops and settler had to withdraw not because of a military loss, but because the moral fell so low that no one was willing to set a foot on the frozen earth of Vallheim anymore. No matter how their superiors threatened and tried to persuade their underlings, they flat out refused to board the ships. With this, 5 years of bloodshed were for naught and the Order withdrew entirely from the island. The Family Soon after the last soldier had left Vallheim, a small, wealthy family of merchants offered the native residents to support them with coin and goods if they allowed them to settle there. Suspicious, the tribe chiefs held an assembly to discuss the matter. The outcome seemed to be obvious, wasn't it their pride to have driven the Order away already. Surely, they wouldn't give in to the tempation of money. However, and to the surprise of all bystanders, they decided to accept. With this, the foundation of the city of Vallheim was nothing but an formality anymore. As if they had waited for a command, carpenters, stone maces and architects travelled in numbers to Vallheim, and soon, a small town stood at Vallheims end of the land-bridge. The Order, thinking that his time had come now, also send his missionaries, but they were sent back with force, and it soon became clear that the new reigners or Vallheim had no intention of sharing. They declared themselves as a separate state and cut all ties with the mainland in general and the Order especially. The city of Vallheim Due to it's low taxes and tariffs, Vallheim became popular as a trading place, and the town grew slowly but steadily into the most important terminal for goods in the north. Smaller harbors spread in the bays around the main town and the natives grew from hunters and cattleman into workers, clerks and sailors over the time. Settlers from the continent were watched suspiciously, and every attempt of the Order to set a foot on Vallheim seemed to be doomed from the start. As the frustration grew unbearable, some of the higher-ups planned to invade the island like they did before, but those plans ended as some of them died under mysterious circumstances. Rumors about assasination and murders spread, but those who talked about it disappeared one after another and no one dared to talk about it again. They city itself has grown and is growing to the present day. The houses, taverns, inns stores and halls have piled up to a giant, confusing labyrinth of streets, stairs and back-alleys. Strangers are barely able to find their way, especially at night, in the thick fog that's caused by the near sea or both, which occurs rather often. Politics The Houses The family originally responsible for the foundation of Vallheim split over the years into many smaller branch families, and with the new settlers arriving, the number of them increased even further. In the current days, there are dozens of families claiming to belong to the original one, and at least another dozen objecting those claims. In this manner, in an attempt to gain influence and therefore power, the interaction between those houses is mostly that of a reciprocal stalking for mistakes, flaws and weaknesses. While murders are very rare, it is the usual tactic to find a scandal or weakness of the opponent, or, if nothing can be found, to fabricate one. Because of that, older members of a House tend to be distrustful and paranoid, due to their experience, while the younger ones are a bit more carefree and generally seek to break out from the cage of watchful eyes around them. The influence of a House is determined by the number of other houses supporting it. That means that while looking out for spies and traps, a House must at the same time look for allies. In order to gain allies, wealth and reliability are absolutely necessary, and while a proven connection to the original family is not officially necessary, so does it help greatly to achieve the first three traits. The 8 most powerful Houses form a council, overseen by a neutral 9th party. This council fills the role of a government, as well as a mediator between the other houses. To be called into the council, a House must prove that is more powerful than a House currently appointed, which will be verified by the neutral 9th House. This 9th House is usually one with no supporters at all, meaning it would have no hope of joining the council in a regular way. Often, this task is entrusted to the same House for several councils, as it's able to aid a new council with taking over. The current council consists of the following Houses: * Brachfeld * Weißfels * Vogelsang * Hochwald * Tiefmott * Unterrach * Niedrauch * Moor * Karnstein (Neutral House) The Natives Altough Vallheim appears as one nation to the outside, it is, politically speaking, split in half. While the southern part, with the city of Vallheim, the largest port and the many Houses, is mostly present in official business with outsiders, the northern part is under almost full control of the natives. As far as it regards them, everyone not belonging to them is just temporarily tolerated and it is advisable to not strain their hospitality. The Tribes Being separated into many more or less small tribes, the natives lack a single name, as their loyalty to their tribe and family is far greater than their identity as a single folk. The specific culture of each tribe differs greatly from one to another, and common traits are rare to find. In their interaction with each other, they behave only a bit less suspicious and violent than when dealing with outsiders. Culture Being the cold icy rock that it is, fire and the sun hold a great relevance. Like this, many festivals are held over to the year to celebrate them. Vallheim and Mamono While not belonging to the Order, Vallheim is not too keen on the Demon Lord either. Mamono are not openly discriminated, but some types are are welcomed more eagerly than others. This involves Mamono native to the cold and knowing to help people lost in it, such as Yetis or Selkies. Native Mamono, like Werewolves and -cats as well as a lone colony of cancers up in the north are not catching any attention either. However, demons, fiends and undead are somewhat ostracized. Ever since a series of murders, involving dozens of citizens being found drained of their blood, vampires and vampiric monsters are openly banned and loathed. At best, they are just chased away. At worst, there are taken lethal measures against them. Back then, it started with residents of the poor districts of the city piling up like firewood, blood- and lifeless. Soon enough, it became clear that not a single, but a whole group of vampires was drinking their way through Vallheim. Measures were taken, a curfew installed, people out on the streets at night taken into custody and interrogated. For a whole year, the city of Vallheim became the home of fear and denunciation. However, the case was resolved when one day, the corpses of around 20 vampires were found on the main plaza of Vallheim. Each of them had been beheaded and driven a stake through the heart. It was never found out who did that, but the murders ended afterwards. Ever since then, vampires are the most despised and feared creatures on Vallheim.Category:Locations